NEW waste bins in Tandridge have been labelled as "unsightly" by some residents who are worried about the size of the containers.

A new style of recycling wheeled bins and food waste containers will appear across homes in Tandridge next week ahead of the revamped collection service launching in October.

More than 35,000 properties will have bins delivered to them over a five-week period, from August 13 to September 14.

Speaking to Get Surrey at a council roadshow held outside the Co-op in Lingfield this week, local resident and mother, Sharon Kidd, said she thought the new bins might cause problems for her as they are a lot taller than the current recycling boxes and she will have to find somewhere to store them.

She said: "It's a good scheme but it's a nightmare for us as there is no space for them as our bins are in the front garden.

"It's the size of the bins that is going to be a nightmare. It's a bit unsightly as well, especially in the front garden.

"I normally store them in the front, the recycle box fits under the side but this won't fit there as it's taller."

Sue Canhan, from Lingfield, also agreed that the size of the bins was going to be an issue.

She said: "My property is very small and I don't know where I am going to put it.

"No-one is going to want one of them in their garden. The size is definitely a problem."

'Nuisance'

As part of the district council's drive to "make recycling easier for residents", around 28,000 new grey wheeled bins with blue lids for mixed recycling, along with green outside food waste containers and silver food waste kitchen caddies, will find new homes.

The new recycling bins have the same floor size as the current green recycling boxes, but they are the same height as the existing black household waste wheeled bins.

Joe Pettitt, from Limpsfield, is hoping the new bins can be collected from the back of his home as he feels they will spoil the front of his cottage.

He said: "I'm often away and my wife wouldn't be able to move the bin to the front on her own.

"In a beautiful conservation area it seems a sin to store a row of bins in front of our 200-year-old terrace of cottages.

"The overall aim seems to be cost-cutting. We have a weekly collection from the rear of the property at present but the new scheme only provides this every other week.

"Hopefully the council's surveyor will allow us to have the new bin collected from the back too."

User guide

Barbara Bridger, from Lingfield, commented: "I'm quite happy with it the way it is to be honest, the one we have now is smaller and I don't have food waste and I use compost bins.

"If I have to make room for the new ones it is going to be a nuisance as now I will have to move it to the back of the house instead of the front as there is no space where I usually store them."

For every household there is a detailed user guide that will be delivered with the new bins, and later this month residents will also be sent a letter outlining details of their collection days and date along with a calendar.

Councillor Tony Elias, chairman of the community services committee, said: “With the start of these deliveries, we are one step closer to introducing the new service, which will make it easier for residents to recycle more materials.

“Delivering these new containers is a major undertaking and we are asking residents to play their part. If you think you may be away when your containers are delivered, please ask a neighbour to move them out of public view onto your property.

"Or if you know your neighbour is away, please move their bins onto their property out of sight. And don’t forget the new service doesn’t start until October, so please try not to use your new containers until the week before your collection is due.”

Roadshows about the new service are taking place in August and September and more information can be found here .